Improved clothes washer and wringer



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. JOHN CRAM, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO vHIMSELF AND JOHN S. CRAM, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVED CLOTHES WASHER ADND WRINGR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,990, dated September 15, 1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, JOHN CRAM, a resident of Boston, in the county ot' Suffolk and State 'ot' Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful or Improved Machine or Apparatus for Washing and Wringing or Squeezing Clothes; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a top view, Fig. 2 a side elevation, Fig. 3 a transverse section, and Fig. 4 a longitudinal section, of it.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination of two washing-rollers constructed in manner and so as to operate substantially as hereinafter described; also, in the combination and arrangement of a squeezingroller and the two washing-rollers, the whole being constructed and so as to operate substantially as hereinafter described also, in the combination of a movable soap-holder and its spring with the elastic washing-rollers and their tubs.

1n the drawings, A denotes an elongated trough or tub, having a frame, B, arranged within and extending above it, as represented. Within this frame three elastic rollers, C D E, are arranged with their axes parallel and horizontal, and in one vertical plane. The middle one of these rollers is stationary in position, except in being capable of being revolved on its axis, which it can be by means of a crank, a, applied to itsA shaft b. Each ofthe other rollers is movable vertically within the frame B, and both toward and away from the middle roller. The, boxes c c of the journals d d e e of the rollers C E slide freely in vertical directions in the frame B. To each of the boxes of the lower roller, E, a lever, F, is applied in such manner as to enable the box, by downward pressure on the longer arm of the lever, to be forced upward. A spring suitably applied to the said longer arm serves to depress the same. The boxes of the upper roller, C,extend upward above the roller, and are connected by a cross-bar, f, on which a double-forked spring, g, is arranged, the said spring being formed as shown in Fig. 3. rlwo levers, h IL, are varranged over the spring g and in the frame B, each being provided with a toothed rack for supporting it while raised,

there being a stud, 7c, extended from each lever to operate against its rack-teeth. Each ofthe racks at its foot should be capable of turning on a center-pin, in order that the rack may be moved up into connection with the stud, as occasion may require.

Each of the two rollers D E has a peculiar construction, the body partl of it being a cylinder formed with a helical groove going around it from one end to the other of it, the

pitch of the helix being such as to cause any two next adjacent coils or turns of the groove to be from each other a distance equal to or about to the width of each groove. A long strip, m, of vulcanized india-rubber, is'wonnd around the body of the roller and in the helical groove thereof, the spaces between the coils of the said strip being partially closed by a second strip, n, of vulcanized india-rubber, wound on the body and between the coils of the first strip. The said rst strip is to be thicker than the second in order that the coils of the rst may project beyond those of the second, as shown in Fig. 3.

In order to wash an article of clothing while the tub A is supplied with water, the said article is to be run between the two washingrollers D E, and the upper one is subsequently to havea quick reciprocating motion imparted to it, in which case not only will the article be moved back and forth, but it will be so acted on in the meantime by the projecting coils of the two washing rollers as to be rubbed and cleaned by them, the operations of the said coils of the two rollersl being very peculiar. As the two rollers move in opposite directions the coils of one will be continually crossing as it moves those of the other, and while those of one roller operate to press the cloth laterallyin one direction transversely of the machine the coils of the other roller will operate in the same manner in an opposite direction, the consequence being that the article will be rubbed laterally on its opposite sides, or so otherwise treated as to be washed or cleansed. After the washing may have been completed, the springs of the lower roller, E, may be put out of action thereon, and those of the upper roller, C, may be thrown into action upon it. The rollers C and D will then be prepared for squeezing the water out of the article Washed.

In conjunction with the rollers and tub I employ a sliding frame or soap-holder, H, arranged on the top of the tub and provided with a loop-spring, I, of vulcanized india-rub ber, which is attached to theframe B, and eX- tends around the holder H, so as to force it toward the roller D. The said holder H is so niade as to hold a piece of bar-soap, K, in a manner to enable the said piece of soap to project from thevholder and a gai nst the curved surface of the said roller D.

While the roller D may be in rotary motion and be operating with the roller E in washing a piece ofcloth or article of clothing, Vsuch roller D will remove more or less of the soap from the bar and apply it to the article.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination of the two Washing- JOHN CRAM.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, n F. P. HALE, Jr. 

